In the coming months, I will provide more information on the event. The Jackson Alumni Golf Tournament offically began in the fall of 2004, but it's origins can be traced to earlier that summer when the Class of 1984 held it's 20 year reunion. At that reunion, we decided to get together and play golf before the big event of the evening. Because we didn't have enough players to make even teams, we
invited players from other classes. Believe it or not, there was some trash-talking going on about which class had the best players. Later that fall, we organized a tournament strickly by word-of-mouth for those classes that thought they had the best players. The First Annual Alumni Golf Tournament had 19 teams with classes ranging from 1970 to 1997. All money taken in that day went back out in greens fees and prize money. The Class of 1992 was our first Champion. As we began planning for the second year in 2005, John Thompson ('71) approached me about making the event a fundraiser for the Jackson R-2 School District Foundation. After hearing John explain the mission of the Foundation, I was sold. Since then, all money raised has gone directly to the Foundation to fund the "Teaching and Learning Grant Program". That 2nd year, our numbers grew to 32 teams. In subsequent years it has grown to 36 in 2006, 42 teams in 2007, 48 in 2008, 57 teams in 2009,62 teams in 2010, 69 teams in 2011 and 72 in 2012 and 2013. Today, this "outing" has become one of the largest and most anticipated golfing events of the year.
